Pity the poor – or brave – boat anglers on Leaser Lake Saturday since it appeared they were spending more time with boat control than fishing. And shore anglers had to keep their side casts low to the water so the lines wouldn’t blow back to them.

Despite this, some managed to catch a few trout there after the PF&BC reportedly stocked close to 3,000 in season on April 3 after its initial pre-season stocking on March 28. So there are a lot of trout waiting for anglers on northwestern Lehigh County’s only large impoundment.

Stream anglers were treated to an upper Jordan re-stocking that took place on April 5. The portion that runs through Lehigh Valley Zoo – formerly the Trexler Game Preserve – was also hit.

With more stockings upcoming for the Jordan, Little Lehigh and smaller streams like Cedar Creek, Coplay Creek, Trout Creek and Ontelaunee Creek, trout anglers should get their fill before bass season opens.

According to Bob Danenhower of Bob’s Bait, Tackle and Taxidermy in Orefield, he thinks fishing should pick up with predicted slowly rising temperatures that will increase fishing activity.

As for hot trout baits, customers are telling Danenhower that butter worms are the ticket followed by minnows right now.

If fishing pressure is high on the Jordan, you may want to slip over to the Little Lehigh that holds some leftover trout and less pressure, at least until the next stocking on April 30th. However, anglers must move around to find them in the faster water or deep holes.

While trout is on the main angling menu, would you believe a few shad have already been caught on the Delaware River?

The Delaware River Shad Fishermen’s Association hotline (610-954-0577-78) has announced that a single shad has been caught in Yardley at Scudder’s Falls and one shad below Easton. The hotline reports Delaware River water temperature was 42 degrees which is still a bit chilly for optimum shad action.

Also announced was that at 7 p.m. on April 16 the association is having their annual Shad Night meeting at SeWyCo Fire Company on Route 378 one mile south of Bethlehem. The topic of course will be shad with updates on conditions and shad activity.

NJ TROUT SEASON

New Jersey’s trout season opened Saturday (Apr. 5) and in the past, their fish and wildlife department normally stocked sizable trout.

When I was a kid my uncle Pete would take me fishing with him on the Pequest River, which is not far from Phillipsburg, NJ. The stretch we fished, as I recall, was a real angling test in that some sections were laden with rapids, which presented numerous hang-ups and lost gear. But the trout we managed to catch were larger than those customarily caught in Pennsylvania waters.

FISHING PHOTO CONTEST

While you’re catching fish, take a photo of two of them in a creative manner, then enter them in BoatUS’s photo contest that runs until October 31, 2014.

Their “Catch of the Month” contest has monthly winners, one for freshwater and one in the saltwater category. Winners will receive a one-year basic BoatUS Angler membership that includes $50 on the road and $50 on the water towing, a $50 Visa gift card and a “Prize Pack” filled with fishing and BoatUS Angler gear. In addition, winning photos will appear in BoatUS Angler Magazine and Tacklebox fishing e-newsletter.

Monthly winners will also be automatically entered to win the grand prize in November, which includes an upgrade on their BoatUS membership, plus unlimited on water towing (if you own a boat) and on road towing assistance from Trailer Assist. Sweetening the pot is a high-quality fish replica of your winning fish from FishReplicas.com and a $50 gift certificate from BoatNameGear.

To enter, go to BoatUS.com/angler/contest.

BoatUS is the nation’s largest association of recreational boaters who offer on water towing for fishing boats, roadside assistance for boat trailers and tow vehicles, fishing boat insurance, benefits and more.

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For the past 30 years, Allentown resident Nick Hromiak has written an outdoors column for several area newspapers and has been published in several magazines including Sports Afield, Whitetail Strategies, Pennsylvania Game & Fish, Pennsylvania Game News, Boat Pennsylvania and NRA's American Hunter magazine. He won a Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association First Place award in the Sports/Outdoors category.A lifelong hunter and fisherman, Hromiak also specializes in automotive communications.